Understanding Rust's GCC Backend: Architecture and Implementation
By
ahlCVA
Crackling crust, pillowy middle. The kind of bagel that earns a second cup of coffee.
Summary
This article explains how the Rust programming language compiler can use different backends to generate binary code, with a focus on the GCC backend as an alternative to the default LLVM backend. It describes the compilation process including passes, abstract syntax trees, and how different backends work within the Rust compiler architecture. The post provides technical details about why developers might choose GCC over LLVM for Rust compilation and how this integration is implemented.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledBy default, it uses LLVM as backend to generate the binary code, but more backends exist like cranelift and GCC.
This post is about how it's possible for one compiler to use different backend to generate binaries, in particular GCC.
They read source code and convert it internally into a format they can manipulate, commonly called Abstract Syntax Tree (shortened 'AST').
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